Apparatus for stretching hamstrings

ABSTRACT

A size-adjustable hamstring device of unitary construction provides for easily, effectively, and efficiently exercising (stretching) the hamstrings. The device consists of a frame of unitary and is used in a prone position avoiding back strain. The device supplies means for supporting the user&#39;s foot and means for assuring that the user&#39;s leg is maintained in a straight position. Means for holding allows for ease in grasping the device so that the user is able to pull or push the device as desired. The means for supporting a foot, maintaining the leg in a straight position, and for holding may all be padded for increased ease of use and comfort. The frame is made of any readily available, strong, lightweight material, such as plastic or aluminum and it is contemplated that the device be made using a molding process to reduce the cost of manufacturing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an exercise device and, moreparticularly, to an exercise device that provides for effectivestretching of an individual's hamstrings while the individual maintainsa safe, comfortable prone position to eliminate back stress, with aminimum amount of equipment and energy required.

The background information discussed below is presented to betterillustrate the novelty and advantages of the present invention. Thisbackground information is not admitted prior art.

“Hamstring” is commonly refers to any of three muscles at the back ofthe thigh that function to flex and rotate the leg and extend the thigh,although it is not uncommon to hear the term “hamstring” used to referto either of two groups of tendons at the back of the human knee. Ineither or both cases, maintaining the flexibility of this muscle and/ortendon group is important. Senior citizens seem to derive a great dealof benefit, in preserving and in some cases even increasing theirmobility, when the flexibility of their hamstrings is maintained. It iswell-known that as people age their muscles frequently loose thereflexibility. Moreover, underutilization of any muscle group by people ofany age will result in atrophy of that muscle. When muscles, especiallythe hamstrings, become less flexible and start to atrophy, the risk ofinjury to these muscles increases. An injury to the hamstring musclesand tendons can seriously impair the quality of life of an elderlyindividual, by limiting their mobility and, perhaps, even rendering theperson immobile depending on the severity of the injury to the muscle.

Such injuries, however, are not limited to older persons. If a youngerperson's hamstrings are not properly conditioned by regular stretching,they are also prone to injury. This is one reason why athletes ordancers, prior to an event or performance, make it a point to take thetime to perform warm-up exercises, such as stretching and bending.Without these conditioning exercises their muscles would not operateeffectively and safely.

There are a number of specific stretching exercises that are useful forproperly conditioning the hamstrings. One of these exercises requires aperson to lean forward toward a wall and to place their hands on thewall for support while keeping one leg relatively straight andstretching the other leg out behind them. While in this position, theheel of the rearward held foot is brought as close to the ground aspossible. Another stretching exercise requires the exerciser to lieprone on his or her back, raising one leg toward the ceiling andgrabbing hold of the raised leg and pulling it as far as possible towardtheir torso. Yet still another stretching exercise is for one to sit onthe floor with legs spread out and to take turns bending the torso downtoward each leg and/or to the area of the floor between one's stretchedlegs, and to hold that position for as long as comfortable.

These methods of stretching the hamstring, however, are difficult formany people to perform as these exercises require a relatively highdegree of mobility and flexibility. If one is older, or suffering froman injury that has limited this type of activity for any significantperiod of time, it is highly likely that he or she will lack thenecessary degree of flexibility and mobility to achieve the requiredstretch. However, avoiding stretching exercises will only furthercompound the problem, for as with all muscles, the longer the hamstringremains inactive, the weaker and more foreshortened it becomes, and,thus, more prone to injury.

Attempts to alleviate these problems have been made. There are a numberof means available for those who either desire to increase theflexibility of their hamstrings, or are required to do so in order torehabilitate an injured hamstring muscle, or because of other physicalreasons. These means are usually devices that, while varying instructure and operation, are all designed to provide a way for people toobtain the benefits of exercising the hamstring, while attempting toreduce the amount of physical effort required.

There are, however, a number of problems with such devices. Many of themare quite unwieldy, having a number of pulleys, elastic bands, cables,or other moving parts that must be attached to fixed surfaces beforethey are ready for use. In some cases, these parts, especially thepulleys, may add weight to the device, making it less useable for thosewho are not as strong as the average person. Moreover, required movingparts provide opportunities for the device to malfunction or to cease towork altogether, as well as likely presenting a need for frequentreplacement, and increasing the overall cost of the manufacturing of thedevice that will inevitably be passed on to the consumer. Importantly,the devices that must be anchored to something fixed prior to use aredifficult, if not impossible, for users to freely relocate the device,as desired.

An additional factor, created by the complexity of some of thesedevices, is the need for a prospective user of the device to obtain helpin setting-up the devices, or in the use of the device. When exercisingin a gym or other more public location, there is ample opportunity for auser of an exercising device to find assistance when needed. In theprivacy of the home that opportunity is generally not available. Many ofthe hamstring stretching devices presently available require the personperforming the exercise to have another person near by to provide thepressure that might be required to keep the exercise's leg from bendingwhile the exercising person is performing a given exercise. Thisrequirement further limits a user's ability to use such devices wheneverthe user wishes and may be enough of a detriment to discourage use ofthe device.

Yet still another problem with many of the devices presently availableis the amount of strength required, on the part of a user, to get thedevice to function. Even in the simplest of these devices, a user isoften required to exert a strong arm pull to get any benefit from thedevice. While this may well be within the capacity of a younger and morerobust person, those who may benefit most from the device, namely theelderly or those in a weakened condition, are most likely to haveconsiderable difficulty in exerting the required pull, unless givenassistance.

In order to derive the optimum benefit from these devices the leg beingexercised must be kept straight. If the knee is allowed to bend whilethe hamstrings are being stretched, the hamstrings are caused to relax,thus, experiencing no tension and receiving no benefit from the stretch.Few, if any of the devices presently available for working thehamstrings, provide for means to keep the knee straight, thuspermitting, or even encouraging, improper use of the device, resultingin little, if any, benefit from its use.

Moreover, the devices currently available bring into play muscle groupsof the lower back. In order to operate the pulleys, ropes, or otherdevices present in many of these devices, a user is required to bendfrom the lower back, which places a tremendous strain on the back. Formany users, such movements create a potential for back injury,especially if the individual's muscles lack tone and strength, or if theindividual previously suffered back problems. Such potential problemsare often a source of anxiety about using the current devices by peoplewho would benefit from their use the most.

A further important issue relating to the use of the presently availabledevices is that of cost. The more complicated the device the more costlyit is likely to be. Similarly, if a device is comprised of many parts,the number of parts is usually indicative of the cost. The largerdevices that are often found in health centers are often prohibitivelyexpensive for home use.

Accordingly, it would be a significant improvement in the art to providefor a simple, lightweight, portable hamstring stretching device, with nomoving parts; that does not require outside assistance to use; whichkeeps the leg straight preventing bending of the knee; allows the userto remain in a relaxed position, so that no stress is placed on thelower back, and provides an optimal stretch for the hamstring when usedthat because of its simplicity is inexpensive to manufacture and thus,is affordable to most all people.

SUMMARY

The present invention satisfies the urgent need in the art for ahamstring stretching device that eliminates the complexities of thecurrent stretching devices. The device is of simple construction, as itcomprises a unitary frame, requiring economical manufacturing methods.Moreover, the device may be made of many available and inexpensivematerials, such as any suitable metal or plastic, thus making the deviceattractively affordable. The hamstring stretching device, according tothe principals of the present invention, allows the user to use thedevice at their own convenience, without any of the concerns sofrequently found with other hamstring stretching devices.

Because of its simple construction and because the device may be madefrom any strong, lightweight material, it is lightweight and easilytransported. The present invention requires none of the moving partsthat are so prevalent in so many of the currently available hamstringstretching devices, thus, removing the concerns of the moving partsbreaking or requiring periodic replacement.

The simple one-piece frame construction of one preferred embodiment,provide for the present invention to be easily adjusted accommodatingthe size of the user. Instead of having to adjust cables and the tensionof various elastic bands, the current invention relies only on thepresence of several strategically positioned aperture formed as part ofthe frame of the device. The apertures provide for the hand, foot, andknee rests to be positionably adjusted on the frame, allowing for aperfect fit for any person.

In addition to the benefits of portability and adjustability, thepresent invention also ensures healthy and balanced exercise of thehamstrings. One of the key factors in exercising the hamstrings iskeeping the leg being exercised straight, that is, not permitting theknee to bend, which factors are not emphasized by the structure of mostof the hamstring stretching devices presently available. The currentinvention remedies this, by preventing bending of the knee, thusproviding for an effective and efficient stretch of the hamstrings.

Importantly, the current invention is easy for all to use and allows theuser to determine and control the amount of stress that the user desiresthe hamstrings to experience. While many of the conventional stretchingdevices targeting the hamstring require bending at the waist, while theuser is either standing or sitting, causing stress to be placed on thelower back, the current invention requires the user to perform thehamstring stretching exercise in a prone position, assuring that theuser's back is always supported. In fact, given the design of the deviceas taught herein, no assistance is required to use the device, such ashaving an assistant hold the exerciser's leg straight, which assistanceis required while using many of the conventional devices. The inventionas described herein provides for ease of use, as its operation requiresonly minimal pushing or pulling on the handle holding means, which isdesirable for people with limited upper body strength. Other hamstringstretching devices require the user to either pull with their legs asdead weight, or hold bands while pushing with the leg.

All of these advances and advantages are made available by providing anapparatus for stretching hamstring muscles in a prone position,comprising:

a means for holding;

a means for supporting a foot, and

a means for maintaining a straight leg,

where the means for holding, the means for supporting a foot, and themeans for maintaining a straight leg are functionally inter-connectedforming a unitary frame.

Moreover, the apparatus may be made size adjustable, wherein the meansfor holding is contemplated to be a handle for grasping with one's handsand may be padded. Additionally, the means for supporting a foot and themeans for maintaining a straight leg may be padded.

The unitary frame of the apparatus may be made of any suitable material,such as a metal, more specifically a light-weight aluminum, or it may bemade from a suitable plastic or a fiberglass.

In addition, a method for stretching hamstring muscles while lying in aprone position is provided and comprises the steps of:

providing a means for holding;

providing a means for supporting a foot, and

providing a means for maintaining a straight leg,

where the means for holding, the means for supporting a foot, and themeans for maintaining a straight leg are functionally connected to forma one-piece frame assembly for:

holding the means for holding using one's hands,

supporting a foot in the means for supporting a foot;

keeping the leg straight by preventing the knee from bending in themeans for maintaining a straight leg, and

lifting the foot that is supported in the means for supporting the footupwards by pulling the means for holding toward the user, thereineffectively stretching the hamstring muscle.

Still other benefits and advantages of this invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding thefollowing detailed specification and related drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that these and other objects, features, and advantages of thepresent invention may be more fully comprehended, the invention will nowbe described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like partsthroughout the several figures, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of the hamstring stretching deviceaccording to the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 1 a is a side view a means showing the bolt part of an attachmentmeans.

FIG. 2 is a perspective side view showing the hamstring stretchingdevice as shown in FIG. 1 in use.

DEFINITIONS

Holding: as used herein, is the act of grasping by one's hand andmaintaining that grasping by an individual.

Metal: as used herein is any metallic material, or metallic alloy thatcan be bent, cast, or otherwise formed into a specific shape and retainthat shape over time. These materials include but are not limited tosteel, iron, aluminum, copper, and brass.

Prone: as used herein refers to reclining position where the back of theindividual is in contact with the floor or other flat surface.

A LIST OF THE REFERENCE NUMBERS AND RELATED PARTS OF THE INVENTION

-   10 A hamstring stretching apparatus according to the principles of    the present invention.-   12 A frame of the current invention.-   12 a-c Segments of frame assembly 12.-   12 d Support segment that is part of frame assembly 12.-   13 Means for supporting the front sole of a foot.-   14 Means for supporting the back ankle part of a foot.-   15 Means for keeping a leg straight.-   16 Means for holding; as illustrated, the means for holding is a    handle.-   17 Aperture part of size adjustment means, which as illustrated are    apertures formed in the frame 12 for adjustment purposes.-   18 Bolt-like part of size adjustment means.-   19 Padding.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale.In certain instances, details which are not necessary for anunderstanding of the present invention or which render other detailsdifficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, ofcourse, that the invention is not limited to the particular embodimentsillustrated herein, but is disposed to embodiments in various sizes,shapes, and forms and, thus, encompasses many embodiments as arediscussed throughout the specification. Therefore, the embodimentsdescribed herein are provided with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is intended as illustrative and are not intended to limit theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 represents aperspective side view of the hamstring stretching device 10, which is anexemplary embodiment of the invention. Device 10, as illustrated,demonstrates how the above mentioned disadvantages have been overcome.

FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus for stretching hamstring muscles in aprone position, comprising:

a) means for holding 16;

b) means for supporting a foot 13 and 14, and

c) means for keeping a knee joint from bending 15,

wherein the means for holding, the means for supporting a foot, and themeans for keeping a knee joint from bending are functionally connectedto form one-piece frame 12.

More specifically, apparatus 10, as exemplified, may be made of unitaryframe 12. Frame 12 may be described as being divided into four segments12 a-12 d that are joined together to form one piece. Segments 12 a-12 cfunction, in part, as attachment areas for the attachment of means forholding 16, means for supporting a foot 13 and 14, and means for keepinga knee joint from bending 15. Segment 12 d functions to provide supportto connected segments 12 a-12 c. It is obvious to a person havingordinary skill in the art that the support segment 12 d would benecessary only if the materials used in the manufacturing of frame 12were such that support was required. Thus, support segment 12 d may beomitted, provided the materials used in the manufacturing of the frame12 were rigid and strong enough to prevent bending even with excessiveuse. It should also be noted that the numbering division of segments 12a-12 d is purely for illustrative purposes only, and a person havingordinary skill in the art would realize that the entire frame may, andis contemplated to, be cast as one piece to embody the essence of thisinvention.

Frame 12 can be made from any functional material, such as a metal, andbe formed by any known, or yet to be known method for forming suchobjects, such as by using a casting method, a forged method, orotherwise formed into the desired shape. In a preferred embodiment, themetal may be aluminum. However, a person having ordinary skill in theart would also realize that any metal, semi-metallic material or metalalloy that has the requisite properties may be used. Moreover, anysuitable plastic, plasticized alloy, or fiberglass may be used tomanufacture the apparatus. Injection type molding is one favoredmanufacturing method.

Attached to frame 12, as shown in FIG. 1, are three means, a means forholding 12 using one's hands, two means for supporting a foot 13 and 14,and a means for maintaining a straight leg 15. As illustrated in FIG. 1a (using means 13 to illustrate), each of means 13 to 16 are equippedwith bolt-like projections 18 that are designed to be accepted byattachment apertures 17 for the attachment of means 13 to 16 to frame12, as illustrated in the drawings. Although bolt-like attachments meansare used in the invention as illustrated, any other effective anddesired means of attachment may also be used.

One means part for supporting a foot 13 is functionally positioned andattached to frame segment 12 a. The other means part for supporting afoot 14 may be functionally positioned on and attached to frame segment12 a or to 12 b to provide for the support, and the secure holding, ofthe foot of the person using the apparatus. The size of the personwishing to use the apparatus determines on which segment and to whichaperture the means should be attached. Means for maintaining a straightleg 15 is essentially a biasing rest that is functionally positioned onthe length of segment 12 b to provide biasing support for a user's kneewhen his or her foot is properly aligned in supports 13 and 14. Themeans for maintaining a straight leg biases a user's knee in thedirection of the back of the user's leg providing for the leg to bemaintained in a straight line by preventing the knee from bending. Thisis a fundamental improvement over the devices presently available, whichpermit the knee to bend, thus providing an ineffective stretch to thehamstrings.

Also attached to frame 12 is handle 16 which is contemplated to be heldby the hand(s) of the user of the apparatus. While being held by a user,handle 16 provides assistance and support to the person using thedevice. Means 13-16 may be made out of any functional material, howeverin one preferred embodiment they would be made of plastic or aluminum.Also in a preferred embodiment, means 13-16 are supplied with padding 19to provide for the comfort of a user. Padding may be made of anyparticular material desired, with a person having ordinary skill in theart realizing that the padding can be of any functional material, andapplied in any utilitarian fashion, and still be within the spirit ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates how the apparatus is used for stretching anindividual's hamstrings. As shown in FIG. 2, the user positions himselfor herself in a prone position to use the apparatus. Executing thestretch while lying prone, reduces stress on the back muscles, asopposed to some of the devices of related art that require a user tobend over and thus to place stress on the user's back muscles. Apparatus10 should be positioned so that the ball-section of a user's foot islocated on means 13, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Foot support means part14 should be located behind the upper part of the heel of the foot.Means 15, which part is to maintain the user's leg in a straightposition, should be positioned on the front of the leg, just above theknee. Handle 16 is then grasped by the user. At this point, the user cando either a passive stretch, by pulling up on handle 16, which pullingcauses means 13-15 to move simultaneously upward and forward, whichmovement applies leverage to the user's leg and stretches the hamstring.Another way to use hamstring stretching device 10 is in an isometricfashion. This is accomplished by a method that is similar to the passivestretch, except that instead of pulling on the handle 16, the userpushes on the handle for a number of seconds, and then relaxes the pushfor a number of seconds. This movement may be repeated as often asdesired. This exercise may be made more rigorous by raising the legupwards by some increment and repeating the push and relax routine.While these are two preferred exercises that may be used with hamstringstretching apparatus 10, the device is not limited to only thoseexercises, and a person having ordinary skill in the art would recognizethat any type of hamstring stretching exercise may be done with thehamstring stretching device 10.

It has been shown then that hamstring stretching apparatus 10 solves theproblems presented by the currently available devices. For one, theinvention according to what has been taught, eliminates the need for anadditional person or device to maintain a user's leg in a straightposition, which is a substantial improvement over other devices.Moreover, hamstring stretching apparatus 10 is light weight and has nomoving parts, which is yet another improvement over the current state ofthe art. Importantly, the invention provides for an apparatus that iseasy to make out of easily available materials and by inexpensivemethods of manufacture, making the apparatus affordable to all.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificand defined nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of theinvention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details presented are not required in order to practice theinvention and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that many changes may be made to the features, embodiments,and methods of making the embodiments of the invention described hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Theinvention is limited only by the claims.

1. An apparatus for stretching hamstring muscles in a prone position,comprising: a means for holding; a means for supporting a foot, and ameans for maintaining a straight leg, where the means for holding, themeans for supporting a foot, and the means for maintaining a straightleg are functionally inter-connected forming a unitary frame assembly.2. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, further comprising wherein saidmeans for holding is a handle.
 3. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1,further comprising wherein said apparatus is size adjustable.
 4. Theapparatus, as recited in claim 1, further comprising wherein said frameis made of a metal.
 5. The apparatus, as recited in claim 4, furthercomprising wherein said metal is made of aluminum.
 6. The apparatus, asrecited in claim 1, further comprising wherein said frame apparatus ismade of a plastic.
 7. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising wherein said means for maintaining a straight leg is padded.8. The apparatus, as recited in claim 1, further comprising wherein saidthe means for holding is padded.
 9. The apparatus, as recited in claim1, further comprising wherein said the means for supporting a foot ispadded.
 10. A method for stretching hamstrings in a prone position,comprising the steps of: a) providing a means for holding; b) providinga means for supporting a foot, and c) providing a means for maintaininga straight leg, where the means for holding, the means for supporting afoot, and the means for maintaining a straight leg are functionallyinter-connected forming a unitary frame; d) supporting the foot in saidmeans for supporting a foot, e) keeping the leg straight using saidmeans for maintaining a straight leg; f) holding said means for holding,and g) lifting the foot supported in said means for supporting the footupwards using said means for holding therein stretching the hamstrings.11. The method, as recited in claim 10, further comprising wherein saidapparatus is size adjustable.
 12. The method, as recited in claim 10,further comprising wherein the frame apparatus is made of a metal. 13.The method, as recited in claim 12, further comprising wherein the metalis made of aluminum.
 14. The method, as recited in claim 10, furthercomprising wherein the frame apparatus is made of a plastic.
 15. Themethod, as recited in claim 10, further comprising wherein the means forholding is padded.
 16. The method, as recited in claim 10, furthercomprising wherein the means for supporting a foot is padded.
 17. Themethod, as recited in claim 10, further comprising wherein the means forkeeping the leg straight is padded.
 18. A one-piece rigid apparatus forstretching hamstrings while in a prone position.
 19. The one-pieceapparatus for stretching hamstrings, as recited in claim 18, furthercomprising: a means for holding; a means for supporting a foot, and ameans for maintaining a straight leg, where the means for holding, themeans for supporting a foot, and the means for maintaining a straightleg are functionally inter-connected forming a unitary frame assembly.20. The one-piece apparatus for stretching hamstrings, as recited inclaim 19, further comprising where the means for holding, the means forsupporting a foot, and the means for maintaining a straight leg arepadded for comfort.